Who's running for retention on the PA Supreme Court?

HARRISBURG, Pa. - On Nov. 4, Pennsylvanians will vote on the retention of three justices who have sat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court since 2015 – Justices Christine Donohue, David Wecht and Kevin Dougherty. 

Typically, judicial votes fly under the radar in the face of what are considered to be more pressing ballot choices. This year, however, all eyes are on Pennsylvania, as the results of these votes could have major implications on both the state and federal level. 

As such, both the Democratic and Republican parties have invested significantly in the outcome of these races. 

So, who are these justices? 

Justice Christine Donohue

Born in Schuylkill County and raised in Lansford, Justice Donohue is a graduate of East Stroudsburg University and the Thomas R. Kline School of Law at Duquesne University, according to her campaign website.

The backstory:

Prior to being elected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, she served on the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, as well as on the PA Judicial Conduct Board and the PA Court of Judicial Discipline. She also served as a member of the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners. Before that, she served as a civil trial lawyer and litigator for nearly three decades. 

Dig deeper:

In 2024, Donohue sided with the majority on an abortion ruling that ordered lower courts to reconsider whether it was constitutional to bar most Medicaid recipients from receiving abortion care. In her opinion, she wrote that "the Pennsylvania Constitution secures the fundamental right to reproductive autonomy, which includes the right to decide whether to have an abortion or carry a pregnancy to term." 

Two years prior, she wrote the majority opinion in the case which upheld the state's no-excuse mail voting law. The law allows Pennsylvania voters to apply for mail-in ballots without providing a reason why they need to vote by mail. She additionally sided with the majority in a case that determined Pennsylvania's school funding system was unconstitutional because it put lower-income school districts at a disadvantage. 

Donohue has been recommended for retention by the Pennsylvania Bar Association. She's also been endorsed by Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates, the Pennsylvania State Education Association, PA AFL-CIO, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and more. 

Justice David Wecht

Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Justice Wecht was raised in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill section, according to his campaign website. 

The backstory:

He received his undergraduate degree from Yale University, where he was a National Merit Scholar. He then attended Yale Law School, where he served as Notes Editor of the Yale Law Journal as well as an editor of both the Yale Law & Policy Review and the Yale Journal of International Law. 

Wecht began his law career clerking for U.S. Circuit Judge George MacKinnon on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Washington, D.C. He additionally practiced law during this time at a number of firms before founding his own, The Wecht Law Firm, in 1996. 

Like Donohue, Wecht spent time on the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. Prior to that, he served on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Before that, he was the Register of Wills & Clerk of Orphans’ Court in the same county. 

Wecht has also spent several decades teaching law at both Duquesne University and the University of Pittsburgh. 

Dig deeper:

Also, like Donohue, Wecht sided with the majority in the 2024 abortion ruling and the case that deemed Pennsylvania's school funding system unconstitutional. 

In the case of the first ruling, Wecht wrote in a concurring opinion that "the Pennsylvania Constitution’s [Equal Rights Amendment] did away with the antiquated and misogynistic notion that a woman has no say over what happens to her own body."

Wecht also voted to uphold former PA Gov. Tom Wolf's emergency powers in 2020 during the pandemic. 

Wecht has been recommended for retention by the Pennsylvania Bar Association. He's been endorsed by Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, Nurses for America, PA AFL-CIO and more. 

Justice Kevin Dougherty

A Philly native, Justice Dougherty attended Temple University before obtaining his law degree from the Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C., according to his campaign website. 

The backstory:

Dougherty began his law career in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office as an assistant district attorney before then going into private practice. He then went on to be appointed to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. He eventually became that court's administrative judge, overseeing reforms. In private practice and in the latter role, one of his main focuses was family law. 

Dig deeper:

Like Donohue and Wecht, Dougherty sided with the majority in the 2024 abortion ruling and the case that deemed Pennsylvania's school funding system unconstitutional. 

This year, Dougherty additionally wrote the decision in a case that upheld Pennsylvania's recognition of parental status for those who conceive their children via assisted technologies. In 2024, he authored the decision that upheld Stroud Township's restrictions on where gun ranges can be located, as well. 

Over the past decade since being elected to the PA Supreme Court, Dougherty has also sought to build classrooms that better cater to neurodivergent students across the state.

Dougherty also spearheaded the creation of the Office of Behavioral Health. That office is "designed to strengthen partnerships between the judiciary, system partners, behavioral health providers and community stakeholders to improve outcomes for individuals with behavioral health challenges who come into contact with the justice system." 

"Mental health challenges are no longer a quiet issue on the sidelines; they are a full-blown crisis affecting every part of life in Pennsylvania," Dougherty said in a statement released at the time. "Families, schools, employers, and emergency rooms are all feeling the strain. And so are our courts. One of the biggest challenges we face in addressing behavioral health issues is breaking down silos that prevent people from getting the care and support they need." 

Dougherty has been recommended for retention by the Pennsylvania Bar Association. He's been endorsed by Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, PA AFL-CIO, Conservation Voters of PA and more. 

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